Monday, August 4, 2014

El Anatsui -- Gravity and Grace at the Bass Museum of Art (Miami Beach, FL)

At the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach is the spectacular breathtaking exhibition, Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui.  The exhibition was organized by the Akron Art Museum is on view through August 10, 2014.

The monumental artworks are made of used and discarded materials in the environment: bottle caps, tin lids, wood, aluminum plates, and other items.  Each object has a human imprint -- an object previously coveted by humans, consumed, and discarded are collected and organized under a patchwork technique to create these fluid, large-scale wall-hangings.

Originally from Ghana, El Anatsui (1944 - ) taught art at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka for thirty-five years.  He retired in 2010 to focus on his studio work.  An internationally recognized artist, he has explored themes related to the African and Western experience centering on the environment and human connections.

Gravity and Grace, 2010. Aluminum and copper wire.
 
Gravity and Grace, 2010 (Detail)
Gli (Wall), 2010. Aluminum and copper wire.